The invention pertains to a lockable plug-in connection part for an electric plug-in connector, with a housing that contains electric contact elements, and with a bayonet ring for locking the plug-in connection part on a guide sleeve assigned to the plug-in connector, wherein the plug-in connection part is inserted into one end of the guide sleeve in order to produce the electric plug-in connector, and a counterpiece that carries complementary contact elements is arranged on the opposite end of the guide sleeve.
A lockable plug connection part of this type is, for example, required for producing an electric plug-in connector that serves for connecting transmission control systems in motor vehicles. In this case, the socket plug-in used is realized in the form of a lockable plug-in connection part. In such transmission control systems, an electrical-equipment board is arranged within the transmission housing which carries the electrical, mechanical and/or hydraulic control means usually provided for such transmission control systems, as well as control electronics allocated functionally for these control means. In order to contact the electrical-equipment board, a plug-in part that contains electrical contact pins is assigned to the electrical-equipment board. Electrical contact between the plug-in part or its plug-in contacts and a plug-in socket that contains electrical contact sockets is realized by means of a guide sleeve that extends through an assembly opening of the transmission wall and is connected to the plug-in part with its inner end region, wherein the plug-in socket is inserted into the guide sleeve that is open on the outer side. For this purpose, a socket housing which carries the contact sockets as well as a bayonet ring are assigned to the plug-in socket, and the bayonet ring is realized such that it locks the plug-in socket onto the guide sleeve. Since the electric plug-in contacts are arranged on the electrical-equipment board within the transmission housing, the socket housing needs to be long enough so that it can be inserted sufficiently far into the guide sleeve in order to produce the desired electrical contacts. The bayonet ring is arranged on the end of the socket housing on the cable outlet side. Such a lockable plug-in socket is known from German Utility Model 297 21 908.1.
In order to produce an electrical contact between the plug-in contacts and the contact sockets contained in the socket housing, the socket housing or the entire plug-in socket, respectively, is realized with a corresponding length. Due to the bayonet locking of the plug-in socket on the guide sleeve, it is proposed to merely realize the end of the socket housing on the cable outlet side in an annular fashion so as to reduce the material requirement, with the bayonet ring being rotatably held on this annular end section. The required length of the socket housing as well as the annular design of this socket housing on the cable outlet side, makes it impossible to realize an automatic mounting of the contact sockets on the socket housing. This type of mounting is carried out from the cable outlet side of the socket housing. An automated mounting is only possible if the socket housing does not exceed a certain length such that the contact sockets to be mounted which are carried by the grippers of the automated mounting machine can be mounted at their intended position in socket receptacles of the socket housing. In addition, an automated mounting can only be carried out if the mounting surface of the socket housing on the cable outlet side is flat and there are no edges or webs, as the annular end section provided for holding the bayonet ring sometimes protrudes from said mounting surface. Consequently, contact sockets can only be mounted naturally onto this previously known plug-in socket or its socket housing.
Based the previously discussed state of the art, the invention aims to propose a lockable plug-in connection part for an electric plug-in connector which is not only suitable for contacting a counterpiece at a certain insertion depth, but on which electrical contact elements to be inserted into the plug-in connection part can also be mounted in an automated fashion.
According to the invention, this objective is attained due to the fact that the bayonet ring can be longitudinally displaced relative to the housing and the end of the bayonet ring on the cable outlet side is, in a mounting position of the plug-in connection part for mounting contact elements on the housing, situated in the plane of the end of the housing on the cable outlet side or in a plane which, relative to the plane of the end of the housing on the cable outlet side, is offset in the insertion direction, and due to the fact that the end of the bayonet ring on the insertion side is situated in an inserting position that is spaced apart from the mounting position, namely within the region of the end section of the housing on the cable outlet side, with the bayonet ring being supported in the insertion direction by an insertion limit stop that is assigned to the housing in this particular position in order to insert the housing into the guide sleeve.
The plug-in connection part according to the invention, e.g., a plug-in socket, is characterized by a bayonet ring that is arranged such that it can be longitudinally displaced relative to the socket housing. In this respect, it is proposed that the bayonet ring is arranged relative to the socket housing such that the plane of the end of the socket housing at the cable outlet side represents the outer limit of the plug-in socket in one position of the bayonet ring-namely the mounting position. This end can be used as the mounting surface for the automated mounting of electrical contact sockets onto the socket housing. Since the bayonet ring can be longitudinally displaced relative to the socket housing, the bayonet ring can be displaced into a locking or inserting position which is spaced at a distance from the aforementioned mounting position. This position is characterized by the fact that the front end of the bayonet ring or the end of the bayonet ring on the insertion side is situated within the region of the rear end section of the socket housing, wherein the bayonet ring is supported by an insertion limit stop assigned to the socket housing in this position. Consequently, the socket housing can be pulled out of the bayonet ring in a telescoping fashion in the insertion direction. Due to this telescoping function, the socket housing merely needs to have a length that suffices for receiving the electrical contact sockets, wherein the socket housing, and in particular, the bayonet ring arranged on the end of the socket housing on the cable outlet side in the insertion position, contributes to achieving the required insertion depth. Such a plug-in socket is suitable for all electric plug-in connectors, the plug-in sockets of which need to extend to a certain insertion depth in order to produce an electrical connection with the plug-in contacts assigned to the plug-in part. A plug-in socket of this type is particularly suitable for an electric plug-in connector that serves for producing an electrical contact with an electrical-equipment board arranged underneath a wall, in particular, a transmission housing wall.
It is practical to fix the bayonet ring in its mounting position relative to the housing because this presents an unintentional displacement of the bayonet ring during an automated mounting process. This is preferably realized by arranging several snap-in beads around the circumference of the bayonet ring, with said snap-in beads engaging into snap-in depressions assigned to the housing and situated on the outer side of the insertion limit stop.
In one embodiment, insertion tabs which protrude from the housing are provided as the insertion limit stop, with flange sections assigned to the bayonet ring being supported by the surfaces of the insertion tabs which point toward the cable outlet of the housing in the inserted position of the bayonet ring. It is practical to guide the insertion tabs in a guide groove that preferably consists of two webs and that is assigned to the inner side of the bayonet ring, with this guide groove being realized such that the insertion tabs have emerged from the guide groove in the inserted position of the bayonet ring and the bayonet ring can only be turned relative to the housing in its inserted position. In order to limit the inserted position of the bayonet ring, a limiting flange is assigned to the end of the housing. In order to prevent the bayonet ring from unintentionally sliding back from its inserted position, one embodiment proposes that springable locking tabs which point toward the cable outlet side of the housing are assigned to the housing, with the ends of these locking tabs being supported by the insertion flange of the bayonet ring once the bayonet ring is transferred from its mounting position into its inserted position. A renewed displacement of the bayonet ring from its inserted position into its mounting position is not necessary because the mounting position is only required for mounting electrical contact elements on the housing.
The advantages of the invention are described on the example of a plug-in socket; however, the plug-in connection part according to the invention may be analogously realized in the form of a plug-in part.